1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to liquid ejecting heads and liquid ejecting apparatuses, and particularly relates to ink jet recording heads and ink jet recording apparatuses that eject ink as a liquid.
2. Related Art
An ink jet recording head that ejects ink can be given as a representative example of a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid. An ink jet recording head that includes, for example, a plurality of main head units that eject ink through nozzle openings, and a first flow channel member and a second flow channel member provided with a first flow channel and a second flow channel, respectively, for supplying ink to the main head units, where a sealing member is provided between the first flow channel member and the second flow channel member, has been proposed (for example, see JP-A-2011-056872).
The sealing member is pinched by the first flow channel member and the second flow channel member and is compressed to a certain degree. Providing such a sealing member ensures that the area between the first flow channel member and the second flow channel member is airtight.
Meanwhile, the first flow channel and the second flow channel are affixed to each other using an adhesive or the like, and communicate with each other. Although ink does not leak from the surfaces where the first flow channel and the second flow channel are affixed to each other using the adhesive, there are cases where air bubbles in the ink leak from those surfaces. In order to discharge gases that have leaked in this manner to the exterior, it is necessary to provide an atmosphere exposure channel that allows the space in the periphery of the first flow channel and the second flow channel to communicate with the exterior. It is desirable for the atmosphere exposure channel to be a long channel with a small cross-sectional surface area, in order to suppress the evaporation of moisture from within the flow channels.
In the case where such an atmosphere exposure channel is provided in the sealing member, it becomes necessary to secure a region of a certain size in order to form the atmosphere exposure channel. However, if a sealing member provided with an atmosphere exposure channel is pinched by the first flow channel member and the second flow channel member, a load will be placed locally on areas of the first flow channel member and the second flow channel member that oppose the region in which the atmosphere exposure channel is provided, resulting in a risk that those areas will deform.
Furthermore, a nonuniform force is applied to the sealing member between the region in which the atmosphere exposure channel is provided and the other regions of the sealing member. Accordingly, it is necessary to anchor the first flow channel member and the second flow channel member using fastening members such as screws so that a uniform force is applied to the sealing member, which increases the number of components and complicates the assembly process.
Note that this problem is also present in liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquids aside from ink.